Update: Microsoft's Karl Stricker has chimed in to let us know that these three games were removed by the develoeprs because the game's licenses had expired. So the good news is the games are pefectly fine for playing, the bad news is you can no longer play them if you haven't previously bought/downloaded them.

Bad news folks, looks like we have another case of missing Xbox LIVE games for Windows Phone again. This time three titles have disappeared:

Once again, we are left without reason as to their disappearance or whether they will return or not. Usually, the case has been they return at some point with an update or bug fix that was sorely needed, but we all know about the Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst fiasco.

Regardless of the reasons, duration of them missing or circumstances, we find the frequency of which Xbox LIVE games being pulled alarming. For one, these are the "A-list" titles and therefore shouldn't be having any such problems and if they do, they should have their updates fast-tracked. Number two, we find the lack of communication disturbing, to paraphrase our favorite Darklord of the Sith. Once again, we're all adults here and while we may not like games being yanked if we're told why and how the situation is being resolved, well, it goes a long way in ameliorating our concerns.

As usual, we'll work on getting answers. Until then, we're left with just questions. And frustration. And disappointment. Thanks, Tom S. & Mike J., for the heads up!

Reader comments

seriously.. --- > F A I L!!!!! this is becoming a comen thing , 2 new games show up , 1 gets pulled , what the **** is going on here Microsoft^ they need to stop publishing **** cause clearly games getting pulled int a GOOD!. and this is sure as **** not giving the OS a good Image

E-r-r, isn't this a bit of an overreaction? Seriously, apps/games get pulled from all app stores all the time!About communication - did you check websites/Facebook pages/twits of developers? Considering that apps/games can be (and most likely were) pulled by their developers - they are the ones to provide the explanation.

yeah cause TOP xbox live titles get pulled every week almost and its because of poor management. witch is frustrating , and giving the OS a bad image to other DEvs ... or users that where thinking of switching.. so no i dont think its an Overreaction. look at it this way , games been out weeks , you pay the over price of 6'99 for a game ,,, thaen, oh wait gets pulled because it wasnt stable , it was buggy , it had problems... ect... ok so why did i just pay 6'99$?!?!?!

It's bad for the publisher, it's bad for Xbox LIVE. If the game has a flaw or is buggy, then it should be updated. When a game is pulled from the Marketplace--either by Microsoft or the developer--it says there is something seriously wrong with the update system.This is evidently what happened with Crackdown2. Lots of devs have complained that's it is nearly impossible to get their games updated on LIVE. Pulling the game in response is one way to prevent negative reviews for a bug they cannot fix with an update.There's just no legit excuse for completely removing a title from the Marketplace, it's a very bad sign and devs cannot be happy having to do it, for whatever reason.

that's annoying, completed F&F and Cantina, but not started Hoth yet, if I have the demo can I still purchase full game? Hope so.Also, why those games? I can understand the buggy Crackdown but F&F and Cantina are absolutely fine!

If it's not bugs it's probably licensing just like on Xbox Live. Difference is that you usually know months in advance when they pull an Xbox Live game because of the license and I don't think they ever pulled a game because it was riddled with bugs.

I completely agree, people are complaining and blaming microsoft but this is the same case as people blaming microsoft on the xbox for marvel ultimate alliance dlc being pulled due to licenses.As all 3 titles are licensed names *2 thq got licensing from lucasarts and one from iplay from universal the licensing could have expired and had to be pulled for trademark reasons, or they could easily be down for repairs and were its a sunday and microsoft's people are not really there be back tommorow sometime.

ctually just checked on my work iphone and they all have been removed on the ios marketplace *not sure if its been today or before coculdn't find any notice on there websites as well. so for the haters saying blame ms its not them at all it appears its from other developers and welcome to the world of mobile phone markets

Once again, the reason is irrelevant. There should be more transparency as to why things are pulled/removed in the first place.It's like developers who choose to not add a changelog to the app or game description. Sure, they can not do it, but it's a poor decision.

I do agree though is that if it was licensing a heads up would have been nice, plus it would have given a final sales boost *people would have bought it in case they wanted to play it int he future, seen this on xbla arcade many many times)

Probably only if you bought them via Zune. Since there's no purchase history where you can start a download from, the only chance would be Zune installing it on it's own (since you can't find it on the MP anymore)PS: they really need a purchase history like Xbox or iOS.